ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -’The Tempest’ is Shakespeare’s enchanting swan-song.

Detailed explanation-2: -It is generally agreed that The Tempest was Shakespeare’s last complete play. It is believed to have been Shakespeare’s swan song. Just as for many years Prospero governed his island with unlimited power, so Shakespeare held full sway over the English theatre for many years.

Detailed explanation-3: -According to folklore, swans sing most beautifully before they die, and hence this phrase came to be used to describe someone who was leaving in style. The phrase is of ancient origin and is found in the works of Plato, Aristotle, Euripides, and Cicero. Later Shakespeare used it in several plays.

Detailed explanation-4: -1 : a song of great sweetness said to be sung by a dying swan 2 : a farewell appearance or final act or pronouncement.

Detailed explanation-5: -’Where the bee sucks’ is a song taken from Act V of The Tempest (1611) by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), first printed in the 1623 First Folio. It is sung by Ariel, a spirit, when told that soon he will be freed from the service of his master Prospero.